Chained
by Eline-chan
Summary: Loki has to undergo his punishment but Odin's turned it into something no one ever expected! As he and his childhood friend, Haylee, have to try and bear with each others company all the time. Just a quick fic I did to distract myself from finals
1. Chapter 1

**Avengers FF - Chained**

Chapter 1

When Thor and his brother returned to Asgard with the tesseract, he hid it away in a safe place. At least that's what he said. I don't know what became of it and usually he tells me everything. I was an advisor at the court but more importantly a childhood friend of both Thor and Loki. It shocked me deeply when I heard of all the battles between them on earth, I couldn't understand why.

'Haylee!' Thor's voice was like thunder, roaring through the corridor.  
'Keep it down!' I yelled back, leaning back in my chair.  
'Did you not hear me? When I call your name it means I'm summoning you!' He sounded really angry this time and I got up, slowly making my way into his room.  
'What?' I said as I stood in the door opening.  
'Don't speak to me on such a tone, I'm-' I smacked him on the head.  
'Stop acting like a little boy, now what is it?' He nodded annoyed and let out a deep breath, I could see how his muscles relaxed.  
'Loki's in the prison.' The prison is what we always called the most secured cell in the dungeon, it was one from where not even Loki could escape.  
'So I've heard.' I nodded.  
'It's just that I need someone to bring him his food every day.'  
'And you're asking me?' I raised an eyebrow at him.  
'He did.'  
'Loki asked for me?' This was getting weirder by the second.  
'I thought I misheard when they first told me. But it seems he really did ask for you to bring him his food. He said he wouldn't eat if it came from anyone else.'  
'Fine, as long as I don't have to make it.'  
'He'd die if you were to make it.' He laughed.  
'Oh, you're so very funny.' I said sarcastically. 'I'll swing by the kitchen to pick it up and then I'll bring it to him.'  
'Thanks. He might be a murderer but he's still my brother.'  
'Yeah, I've heard that before. "He might be mean but he's still my brother". You said that incredibly often when we were kids.' He nodded.  
'I guess it's always been like that.'  
'I'll see you later.' I turned, waved my hand and made my way to the kitchen.

'Haylee, you here for Loki's food?' One of the cooks asked. Knowing Thor and Loki was normal as they were the royals but they knew me as well. The three of us were a team when we were kids, we caused trouble around the palace in our children's play.  
'Yeah.' I nodded at the cook and she handed me a tray with a plate and a glass of water on it.  
'Good luck.' She said as I walked out. Luck? What did I need luck for? Loki was still Loki, no matter what he'd done. As I arrived at the stairs to the dungeon I stared down into the darkness for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and carefully descending the stairs.

'Food girl's here.' One guard said mockingly. As I stepped into the light he paled. 'Excuse my rudeness, advisor.'  
'Yeah yeah, whatever. Go take a break, I'll keep an eye on him.' The two guards nodded and quickly walked up the stairs. Despite the darkness of the staircase the dungeon itself was actually very light, artificial light sources made it look like a normal above ground room. The cell at the back was the master cell for anyone with strong powers, other cells were made for thieves of the court or people who'd attempted to assassinate the King. Those cells had been cleared out just after the two brothers had returned from earth.  
'I brought it, as you requested.' I said as I opened a small part of the transparant liquid and shoved the tray in. It was quite ingenious, a prison of see-through walls that could only be penetrated from the outside. He got up and took it from me, setting it down on the table and staring at me through his cell's wall. He looked pale, skinny and ill to say the least. He still maintained his stunning looks somehow though.  
'You should eat something.' I said as I gestured at the plate. 'It'll only get cold this way.'  
'I wonder why you agreed.' He said as he walked closer, his voice shaking slightly.  
'Did Thor ask you to talk to me? Get information out of me? For you are still Haylee TruthTeller, are you not?'  
'I'm still being called that, yes. But it's not why I'm here.'  
'Trying to get in Thor's favor then?'  
'Dammit, Loki, stop guessing. I agreed because I wanted to find out for myself what drove you to do such things.' He seemed slightly surprised but smiled.  
'Surely you must know how it feels to constantly stand in someone's shadow.' He'd hit a nerve. 'Your brother, also studying for advisor always came in first, he always beat you at everything.'  
'And you're saying that you were always in Thor's shadow?'  
'Still quick to catch on, I see. But yes, I was always the lesser one.' I laughed, much to his surprise.  
'You were never in anyone's shadow, you were just too blind to see it.'  
'Too blind? I've always seen everything clearly, I saw things clearly back in that cave, did I not? When she outsmarted even you, I saw things clearly.' One day, a new maid had joined the staff, her daughter was only two years older than us so we invited her along on one of our trips. We'd discovered a cave the day before and went to explore it, equipped with ropes, knives we'd stolen from the kitchen and heads filled with imagination we went in. After a rather disappointing journey we reached the end of the cave, it was a simple dead end, nothing interesting about it.  
'How boring!' Loki had said.  
'Indeed.' Thor had agreed.  
'Perhaps I can make things more exciting.' The girl had said as she jumped my way, a knife in her hand. Loki had jumped between us and stabbed her, saving my life.  
'Or have you forgotten?'  
'I haven't. The fact that I'm standing here now is because of you.'  
'Exactly and-'  
'But that's what I don't get. You saved me back then, meaning that you do have kindness in you, then how could you kill all those people?'  
'It's because I know you. They're nothing more than petty mortals, except for the green fellow.'  
'Green? The people of earth are green?' I asked surprised.  
'No, just one of them. Normally he's normal like the others but when he gets angry he transforms into this big green monster.'  
'Amazing, how-'  
'Haylee!' It was Thor's voice and I quickly turned around. He stormed towards me through the corridor, Mjöllnir in his hand.  
'Why haven't you returned yet?' I wanted to smack him on his head again but he grabbed my wrist and pulled it up, nearly lifting me off the ground.  
'Come!' Without me having a choice he pulled me through the corridor and up the stairs, once back on the first floor he released me.  
'What the heck is wrong with you?' I yelled angrily as I rubbed my sore wrist.  
'I could ask you the same. Why were you chatting with him so casually?'  
'Mabye because I know him? He's practically my brother too.'  
'You have a brother.'  
'Not anymore.' I said dryly.  
'He would've never said something like that if you were dead.'  
'You know, now I understand exactly how Loki felt.'  
'What do you mean?'  
'Everyone always compared me to my brother. Always saying to me "Haylee, why aren't you more like your brother?" "You're only bringing your brother down with your games". It was always like that. Even now it's still so.'  
'Loki said something similar on earth. I didn't really get it and I didn't get a chance to ask him for an explanation.'  
'Well that's what he meant. Now if you'll excuse me, I must tend to my work.' I turned and took off.  
'Haylee!' He came after me, his steps resounded loudly through the empty corridor. He laid a hand on my shoulder and turned me around.  
'What is it now?' I asked annoyed.  
'I do not fully understand what you mean. Why did he do it?' I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest.  
'Loki did it for recognition, he wanted to be the one to cast the shadow for once. He's not bad, I know that but do you?'


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thor had seemed surprised and I'd left him with his thoughts to get back to my work. Not that I'd get much done. I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of me, my thoughts kept going back to Loki in his cell and Thor's angry reaction. At last I raked a hand through my hair, stood up and sat by the window, staring at my homeland. I was woken up by knocking on the door and quickly sat back at my desk, trying to look busy.  
'Come in.' I picked up a piece of paper and glanced at the door, seeing Odin standing in the door opening. I sat up straight, put the paper down and stared with amazement. To have the King himself visiting was rare.  
'Close that mouth, Haylee, you'll catch bugs.' He said jokingly. I adjusted myself and nodded.  
'How can I help you, my King?'  
'Cut the formalities, I've known you long enough to know you hate talking like that.'  
'Fine then, something wrong?' He closed the door and sat down in one of the chairs.  
'Yes, as my advisor I wish to ask you for advice.'  
'Anything.'  
'When Thor and Loki returned I was relieved but also angry. I wondered if I made the right choice by imprisoning him. Maybe I should've made a different call.'  
'You mean execution?'  
'Exactly.'  
'No, that would've been wrong. I'm not just saying that because I've known him for so long or because he's my friend but because I know he's not bad. I know he can become who he used to be, back when we were kids.'  
'You've talked to him?'  
'I have.'  
'In that case I don't doubt your judgement. You're still the TruthTeller after all. And I have an idea, as you're convinced that he can return to how he once was, you will be one of the main characters in it.'  
'What do you mean?'  
'I'll release Loki,' I wanted to speak but he raised his hand. 'and I'll chain him to you. You'll teach him how to be normal again.'  
'Excuse me? You'll chain him to me?'  
'Precisely. Remember the chains Loki wore when he came back? An invention of S.H.I.E.L.D., unbreakable cuffs.'  
'What if I say no?'  
'That's kind of it. I'm not giving you a choice.'  
'That's just great.' I said as I sighed.  
'You're always good at keeping Thor from acting like an idiot so why not his brother for a change?' He made it sound so creepy.  
'Fine, fine, you win. When?'  
'Right now!' He stood up, gestured at me to do the same and walked out of the room.

As we progressed down the stairs and into the dungeon I glanced at Odin from the corner of my eyes, he seemed troubled and tired and I felt a bit sorry for the old King.  
'Well well well, so many visitors on one day.' Loki said, a smile on his face.  
'Put this on.' Odin said, taking out the chains and throwing one half through the wall.  
'Why? You're going to walk me like a dog?'  
'No, I'm letting you out.' After staring blankly for a moment, Loki silently put the cuff on and nodded. Odin handed the other end to me, I put it on and nodded as well. The King tapped a few times on the wall, a strange rhythm, and the liquid dissolved.  
'What's the meaning of this?' Loki asked as he held up his arm. Odin looked to me, I had to give him an explanation.  
'I have to rehabilitate you.'  
'And this was your idea, I suppose?'  
'Of course! Now good luck with everything.' Having said that he took off, walking faster than technically possible.  
'So... what now?' He asked.  
'I don't know. You want to go outside?' He raised his shoulders and slowly followed me out.

Once we were outside the chain stopped me and I turned back. Loki was standing still, staring at the sun.  
'You haven't been down there for very long, have you?'  
'No, it's only been a week or so.' He said as he followed me again.  
'He didn't give you a choice, did he?' He asked after a while. I sat down on the grass and shook my head.  
'Seems like I never get one.' He sat beside me and let out a deep breath.  
'Was it for revenge or just for attention?' I asked.  
'Neither, I wanted to be the more powerful one for once. The one in charge.' He looked away, apparently he hadn't planned on saying that.  
'You said that before, when we were kids, that you'd become stronger than Thor. I never expected that you'd show it in such a way though.'  
'Are you... angry with me?'  
'Not angry... just surprised I guess, disappointed maybe.'  
'That's always much worse than angry.' He murmured.  
'Thor is just an idiot, really, why'd you want to surpass him?'  
'Same reason you always wanted to beat your brother.'  
'If you put it that way.' To avoid more awkward silences I changed the subject.  
'I've been thinking about the cave, back then. It's fun to remember those things, even if she was planning to kill us.'  
'Fun? It's childish.'  
'But childish is fun. Now that I'm all grown up I kind of miss those times.'  
'Then why not go there? It's not that far away.'  
'Yeah, good idea!' We stood up and started walking to the edge of the palace grounds.

I was surprised at his proposal of going to the cave, maybe he was trying to cheer me up. We reached the cave and peered inside, some rocks had fallen and they blocked the entrance for the biggest part.  
'It seemed a lot bigger back then.' He said.  
'That's probably because we were smaller.' I heard a yell behind me and turned around, my hearing had always been better than others' so Loki didn't notice. As I saw something flying his way I shrieked, he plucked the projectile out of the air, it was an arrow. A group of men and one woman came rushing up to us, the only one I recognised was Thor. Loki pushed me behind him and straightened his back.  
'Haylee!' Thor yelled furiously as he halted. 'Did you release him?'  
'I didn't do anything! This was your father's idea!' I yelled back as I held up the chain.  
'Father's..?'  
'And who shot that arrow?' I glanced at the group and saw a man with a bow in the middle. I walked forward, dragging Loki along and pointed at the guy.  
'Don't shoot at others just like that!' I said annoyed as I took the arrow from Loki and held it out. The guy took it and put it back in the quiver on his back. I stepped back and let out a deep breath, calming myself.  
'I understand that you are the group Thor refers to as "The Avengers"?' They nodded.  
'And he,' I gestured at Thor. 'invited you to the banquet tonight?' They nodded again. 'Good! Let's get to the palace then, shall we?' I dragged Loki and Thor along and heard how the group followed us.  
'What does father want to achieve by doing this?' Thor asked.  
'Turning me into some softie.' Loki grunted.  
'Something like that.' I agreed.  
'And he uses you for that?'  
'He didn't give me a choice but I see it as a trial and I'll pass it, I'll definitely pass it.' I said determined. 'But more importantly. They're the group of super heroes you were talking about?'  
'Yeah.'  
'Really? That's disappointing...'  
'How so?'  
'You told me of an iron man, a huge green guy and some super soldier.'  
'They're here as normal people, not for work. But they have brought their uniforms.' We arrived back at the palace doors and stopped there for a moment, I turned around to the group and bowed.  
'Please excuse my rude behavior earlier. I tend to speak my mind, even when I shouldn't. By all means, please treat this palace as if it is your own home.' They all relaxed a bit and nodded.  
'That'll be no problem.' A black haired man walked forward, took my hand and kissed the back. 'The name's Tony Stark, Iron Man.' I frowned as I looked at him.  
'Sorry but you don't look like you're made of iron.' Everyone laughed but I was serious.  
'I'm not made of iron, of course, my suit is. Well, not iron but something incredibly strong I created. But there's something about me that is mechanical.' He tapped his chest, a metal-ish noise sounded. Now that I looked more closely something shone beneath his shirt, I leaned closer and squinted my eyes. He coughed and I quickly leaned back.  
'Why don't you all introduce yourselves to the lady?' Stark said to his companions. A blonde, short haired man walked up to me and held out his hand. Thor had told me after his first journey to earth that it was the way humans greeted one another. I shook it and smiled.  
'Steve Rogers, Captain America.' He said as he stood beside Stark. Next was the archer guy.  
'Clint Barton, Hawkeye. Apology for the arrow, m'am.'  
'That's alright.' Next was a woman, dressed fully in black.  
'Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow.' That explained it.  
Last was a man with glasses, he seemed calm and composed. He gave me a hand and smiled.  
'Doctor Bruce Banner.' He said.  
'The incredible hulk.' Stark added.  
'Ah, the big green man?' I asked. He nodded faintly and stood with the rest.  
'I'm Haylee, court advisor.'  
'Not so modest! Haylee TruthTeller can tell when someone's lying.' Thor added.  
'That's a good quality.' Doctor Banner said.  
'I wonder...' I whispered.  
'Well, Thor shall show you to your chambers and I'll see all of you at the banquet.' They nodded and followed Thor inside. I let out a deep breath.  
'I thought that girl had come back from the dead when I saw that arrow.' No reaction came and I looked to my side. He was staring after the group with a fire burning in his eyes. I stood in front of him and saw how he snapped out of his angry state.  
'What? Did you say something?'  
'Yeah but never mind. I'm going to take a-' I broke off, realizing that I was stuck to a guy.  
'A what? A bath? Be my guest but I doubt you can take your clothes off.' He smiled evilly. I hadn't realised it before but being chained made it impossible to change into a different outfit.  
'Then I'll have to wear this forever...' I whispered horrified. I shook my head. 'No, I've got to worry about the banquet. I haven't even checked everything yet.'  
'That won't be necessary.' I looked up and saw Odin strolling through the hallway. 'It's all been taken care of.' Having said that he turned and took his leave again.  
'Is he excluding me? Is this some kind of indirect dismissal?' I asked no one in particular.  
'Knowing him he wants you to invest all your time in me.' He sounded content. I felt somewhat relieved but not entirely at ease.  
'So what now? I can't bathe, change or do my job.'  
'Neither can I.' He noted.  
'You don't have a job.'  
'You're right, I don't.' He laughed.  
'I can't stand having nothing to do.' I said annoyed.  
'Then let's do do something.' He walked back inside, forcing me along.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'Where are you going?' I asked as he'd turned multiple corners.  
'You'll see.' He stopped at a room, laid his ear against the door and listened for a moment.  
'No.' He concluded as he moved on to the next door. After three doors he knocked on one and entered, closing it behind me. Doctor Banner looked up and frowned at seeing us.  
'Haylee is very interested in the research you've done on the staff.' Loki said.  
'Really?'  
'I heard from Thor that it's a kind of magic. As a magician I'd like to learn from it.'  
'You're a magician?' He asked sceptically.  
'Do they not have magic on earth?'  
'We have illusionism, it's not real magic.'  
'I can prove it.' I said as I held up my hand, imagined a rune in my head and observed as a blue flame appeared above it. Doctor Banner stood, came closer and looked interestedly at the fire.  
'It's cold fire.' I said as I moved my other hand through it.  
'How do you do it?' He asked amazed as he carefully touched it.  
'It's runic magic. If you have the aptitude for it then it's just a matter of practice and knowledge of the runes.'  
'But I don't think that the staff can be compared to this. It's much more powerful, like a laser.' Banner looked sideways at Loki, who was just staring at him. I read his intentions off his face and shot the cold fire at him. He dodged, as I expected, and it splattered apart against the ceiling.  
'Don't even think about it.' I said accusingly.  
'I didn't do anything wrong.'  
'No but you were thinking of it. Don't.' I turned back to doctor Banner and smiled.  
'I apologise for that, he was thinking bad thoughts.'  
'It's fine, I figured he was.'  
'But the staff wasn't magical then?' I returned to the other topic.  
'Well, you did shoot that fire just now and it resembled the laser a little.'  
'What happened to it?' Loki asked.  
'Stark took it home to do more research. He said he wanted to find out if it could be used as a power source.'  
'Then we should visit him.' Without another word he pulled me towards the door.  
'It's been nice talking to you. See you at the banquet.' I said quickly just before he closed the door. He walked to the second room and entered, closing the door behind me.  
'Is that a custom here? Walking in just like that?' Stark asked offended.  
'It's not.' I quickly said.  
'Haylee said I should go pick a fight with you.'  
'I didn't!'  
'Oh wait... You're just a petty human without your suit.' He ignored me completely.  
'Who says I don't have my suit?' Two bracelets on his wrists started glowing and the closet doors opened. Something flew out and within seconds I was looking at Tony Stark in his suit, at Iron Man.  
'Hang on, guys, this isn't-'  
'My my, just like tin man.' Loki said.  
'I'm Iron Man, bitch.' Having said that he flew forward and grabbed Loki's collar, pulling him and me along through the door and the hallways. I felt like my wrist was going to break and quickly created a platform beneath myself. However, as he turned a corner it sent me flying off, I face planted a wall before being pulled along again. When he flew outside he threw Loki down, sending me after him. We crashed down onto the ground, leaving big holes in the ground. As an Asgardian I could take a few hits but it still hurt. Loki was on his feet again and laughed.  
'You shouldn't call others that when you yourself throw like one.' Stark growled something and came at him again, it was too fast for me to create a barrier and the punch sent us flying for a few hundred meters. As we landed I turned to Loki.  
'What the heck are you doing? This isn't funny anymore!' I yelled.  
'Yes it is, see it as another trial. If you don't protect me then you get hurt too.' It was his sick humor, I thought he'd stopped with that years ago. I felt Stark closing in again and turned around, quickly creating a barrier. To my surprise he didn't stop but just went faster, he broke through it and I quickly ducked to avoid his fist. I let out a yell as the chain pulled me along again and sent us crashing down further away. I stood up and looked at Stark landing a few steps away.  
'She's mad now.' Loki said as he laughed. 'You're dead.'  
'My fight is not with you.' Stark said.  
'You made it that when you attacked me.' Dark clouds formed overhead and thunder raged as a maniacal laugh escaped me. Behind Stark I could see Thor approaching.  
'Seems like I can't make it very long.' I said as I raised my hands to the sky and pointed at him. A bolt of lightning came crashing down but Thor's hammer kicked him away just before it struck him.  
'Don't interfere!' I yelled as I pointed to Thor and moved my arm up, raising him along with it. I flung him away and turned to Stark.  
'Now, let's finish th-' Thor threw himself at me and knocked me over, pinning me down to the ground.  
'Haylee! Calm yourself!' He yelled. I growled something and struggled wildly but to no avail. I calmed down and let out a deep breath, nodding at him. He got off and turned to Loki.  
'You know you shouldn't encourage her!'  
'Slipped my mind.' He lied.  
'I should beat you to a pulp.' I stood and laid a hand on his shoulder.  
'It's fine. Nothing happened, no one got hurt.' I interfered.  
'It isn't fine, look at your wrist.' I looked at it and noticed that it was bleeding.  
'So I got hurt, that's not important.'  
'You know, it's actually all his fault.' Loki said, pointing to Stark. 'He started.'  
'Is that true?' Thor asked him.  
'It doesn't matter who started. Thanks for bringing me back to my senses, Thor, but this is something between me and Loki.' I pulled at the chain. He got up and smiled at his brother. I pointed my finger at his mouth and glared.  
'Wipe that smile off your face or I'll do it for you.' The smile slid off his face and I nodded. 'Let's go.' I dragged him along inside.

'I can't believe you used me like that.' I said as I sat down on the bed and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. 'Seems like my trust in you was misplaced.'  
'I didn't think he'd go for it. He wasn't so cranky back on earth.'  
'That's not a valid reason!' I threw my arms up, the friction of the chain against my wrist made me recoil.  
'Let me see.' He grabbed my wrist and moved the chain up my arm, I let out a yell and glared at him.  
'Sorry, sorry.' He laid his hand over my wrist and closed his eyes. I felt a warmth spreading through my hand and arm and the pain receded as if it'd never been there.  
'Better?'  
'Yeah... But I'm still mad at you.'  
'I'm used to thinking for myself. I think I forgot about you when provoking him.'  
'You didn't forget me when you said that I'd get hurt too if I didn't protect you.'  
'I got carried away by the moment?' I shook my head.  
'I remembered how I fought him before?' I shook it again.  
'You used me. Just like that, as if I'm some sort of tool.'  
'I said I'm sorry!'  
'You don't mean it but never mind. I'll accept the healing as an apology.' He and I both knew that I couldn't stay mad for a long time so after a few minutes it was all fine again. We made our way to the dinner hall and took our places there, watching as everyone else entered as well.

'So, Haylee.' Stark started after a small silence. 'You're advisor of the King?' I nodded as I shoved a piece of meat in my mouth. 'What does an advisor do?' I swallowed and thought for a moment.  
'Well, of course, give advice when the King asks for it. But besides that it's also organizing things and acting as a middleman and therapist sometimes.'  
'Thanks to Haylee the wolves haven't killed anyone anymore. She negotiated with them.'  
'With wolves?' Doctor Banner asked.  
'Yeah, they live in the forest beside the village. The number of murders were increasing so I decided to do some negotiating.'  
'How can you negotiate with wolves?' Hawkeye asked.  
'Just as you negotiate with another person, by talking.'  
'Wolves talk?' Stark asked.  
'I assume they don't on earth?' They all shook their heads. 'Well they don't talk here either. It's just a little shapeshifting magic.'  
'Shapeshifting? As in transforming yourself into a different form?'  
'Exactly, it's fairly easy. Loki can do it too.' Everyone fell silent and stared at him.  
'Are you trying to say I can do it because it's easy?' He asked offended.  
'Not at all. You're a much better magician than I am.'  
'And this magic is conjuring things?' Stark asked.  
'Among others, it's also elemental. Fire, water, earth and grass with sub categories as ice. It requires aptitude and knowledge of runes.' I held up my glass and imagined a rune, the water rose and turned to ice in mid air. Loki stared at it and started shaping it, when he was done it was the exact image of a forest wolf. The Avengers gasped and clapped in amazement. I turned it back to water and guided it back into the cup.  
'I'm sorry to ask but I've been wondering about this for a while now. Why are you two chained to eachother?' Black Widow asked curiously.  
'I'm supposed to rehabilitate him so he can be free again, something like that.'  
'And is it working?'  
'I think so, yeah.'  
'How can you say that after what happened?' Thor asked.  
'That's just fooling around. Don't forget that he is the God of Mischief just as you are the God of Thunder. I'm sure Mr Stark agrees.' He looked from me to Thor and nodded.  
'Just fooling around.' He repeated. Thor sighed and shook his head.  
'Now now, Thor, no need to worry. Haylee is more than capable of defending herself and she's just as well trained as you are.' Odin said.  
'Just as well? I don't think that's true. I'm not nearly as good as him.' I said humbly. Odin stood up.  
'Then we'll prove it. A friendly match between the two of you, to see whether you're equal or not.'  
'You're forgetting something.' I said as I held up the chain.  
'Of course! Thor will be assigned a companion as well. Let's make it fair...' He looked at the Avengers and rested his eyes on Black Widow.  
'How's your fighting, Miss?' He asked politely.  
'Good.' Was her brief answer.  
'Then will you agree to being Thor's companion?'  
'Yeah, I still have to kick his ass.' She said as she smiled at Loki.  
'Then it's decided!' He got out a chain and handed it to Thor as if he'd known this'd happen.

As we stood outside, me and Loki on one side and Thor and Natasha on the other, our chains rang with every movement. Odin stood in the middle, smiling as he threw down four weapons. He took a few steps back and clapped his hands.  
'Start!' Straight away we shot forward and I put up a barrier in front of them, they bashed into it and we got first choice for the weapons. There was a sword, a battle axe, a spear and a flail. He probably left a hammer out on purpose. I grabbed the sword and Loki the spear. As our opponents struggled past the barrier and took the remaining weapons, Thor the battle axe and Natasha the flail, we stood still for a moment, observing. I knew she'd go after Loki straight away but if I went after Thor that'd be highly inconvenient, we'd limit eachother while fighting.  
'Both on one.' I whispered. He nodded, he made up for his lack of strength by having the brains of a tactician and the magic skills of a Master. She ran forward but Thor wasn't ready yet and the chain stopped her. She was light and fast, he was heavy and slow. That was their disadvantage. For us it was advantageous, we were both light, fast and flexible. She pulled him along and held the flail above her head, ready to swing. Clearly she'd never used one before as she wasn't using it very effectively. It was easy to dodge but Thor swung his axe sideways. We jumped up and started fighting back. After a while I didn't even think about my movements anymore, it all went automatically. We readied our finishing move and used it, Loki's spear was near Natasha's neck and my sword was at Thor's heart.  
'That's it!' Odin said by way of officially concluding the match. We high fived eachother and laughed.  
'Great job, guys.' I held out my hand to Natasha, she shook it and nodded. I patted Thor's back and smiled.  
'You too.' I said as I gave Loki a push. He growled and held out his hand. They both shook it and retreated to the others. I bored the sword in the ground and sighed as I cracked my arms and back.  
'I'm tired...' I murmured as I looked up at the sky, it was getting dark.  
'Then go to bed.' I thought for a moment and then looked at him, he was grinning.  
'Fine. I don't mind sharing a bed. But mark my words: if you try anything I'll murder you brutally.' I was dead serious.  
'I won't. I still have some dignity left.' He was telling the truth, that eased my senses a little.

I excused us and went back inside. I followed him to his bedroom and sat on the bed, looking at my clothes. I knew from experience that it was uncomfortable but I'd just have to bear with it. I took my shoes off and looked at Loki, he was just staring at me.  
'What?'  
'I want to show you something, follow me.' He grabbed my arm, pulled me up and led me out of the room and through the corridor.  
'Where are we going?' I asked.  
'You'll see.'  
'Tell me!'  
'No, be patient.' I growled and decided to just follow obediently. I only hesitated when he entered the forbidden room but he pulled me along inside.  
'What do you want to do here?' I asked as he walked down the steps to the Casket of Ancient Winters.  
'I want you to watch closely, okay?' He looked very serious. I nodded and watched as he reached out and grabbed the handle of the shining box. As he touched it, a blue color spread over his skin. When it reached his face his eyes turned dark red and I realised what he wanted to show me. I walked up to him and touched his cheek. It was so cold that it felt as if my finger froze but I didn't pull it back, I held it in the same place and watched as the blue color started spreading across my skin as well. He released the cube and his skin turned back to normal. I looked at my hand and noticed that the blue of my skin didn't go away.  
'Damn.' I said as I tried to move my fingers, they bent slowly and only a little but it caused me pain.  
'I didn't mean for this to happen.' He said as he touched my hand, as he held his hand in one place the blue color faded back into the normal skin color.  
'I'm cursed with this cold blood.'  
'Doesn't it have advantages too? As far as I know, frost giants can also manipulate the weather.' He laughed.  
'That's not an advantage. I'm a misshapen being. As a monstrosity I was left to die by my parents.'  
'But you're not-'  
'How do you know?' A sudden rush of anger hit him and he threw a punch at the wall.  
'I know you're not what you say you are.' I said calmly. He looked up and I took his hand, laying my hand over his bleeding knuckles.  
'How?'  
'Because I know you. I've known you for so long and this doesn't change anything. You're still the same Loki to me. Smart, playful and mischievous.' I healed his hand and held onto it.  
'But-' His voice was reduced to a whisper.  
'Your blood may be different but that doesn't make you any different. Blood is just something that runs through our veins, it doesn't define who we are.' I looked up and saw that he had tears in his eyes.  
'Just know that I'll never hate or abandon you because of your blood or your actions.' He nodded and smiled.  
'Thanks.'  
'Come on, let's go back.'


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sharing a bed was certainly warmer than sleeping alone and I woke up in a good mood next morning. I lay with my head on Loki's chest and as I opened my eyes I saw that he was staring at me.  
'Good morning.' I murmured sleepily as I yawned and rubbed my eyes, feeling that the ground upon which I was lying wasn't the bed.  
'Good morning.' He returned the greeting. 'You move a lot in your sleep, you know that?' I realised I was lying on him and quickly retreated.  
'I-No. Did I wake you?' He shook his head. I sat up and felt something at my feet. I threw the sheets off me and felt my face flush as I realised my pants had abandoned me sometime during the night. I quickly pulled the sheets back and glanced at Loki, there was a little blush on his cheeks as well. I retrieved my pants and put it back on, still in the bed. I lay back on my side and let out a deep breath.  
'You hungry?' I diverted the attention off my pants.  
'Not really.' He said as he rubbed his eyes and looked at the window, light was already shining through but it wasn't much.  
'Me neither. Would you mind just lying here with me for a while?'  
'Not at all.'  
'What're you going to do when you're free?' He was surprised by the question but thought about it for a moment.  
'I have absolutely no idea.'  
'Not at all?' He shook his head.  
'Not really.'  
'What about... going camping?' He frowned at me and I laughed at the thought of him with a tent by a campfire.  
'I think I'll stay at the palace. At least for a while.'  
'To study?'  
'Maybe.'  
'Well that relieves me a bit.'  
'How so?'  
'Then I can keep an eye on you.' He grinned.  
'And maybe I'll need that.'  
'You up to something?' Before he could react the door slammed open and my dad walked in. He froze when he saw us so close together in one bed.  
'Okay, dad, calm down. It's not what it looks like.'  
'Sure it is. We slept together.' Loki said. My dad paled and his pupils shrank as he slowly took a few steps backwards and walked off  
'No! No we didn't!' I yelled after him as I stood up and pulled Loki along off the bed as I ran after him.  
'Dad! Stop!' I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.  
'It's not what you think or what he said.'  
'Then what is it?'  
'Odin came up with-'  
'Who?' He always made me say "King" instead of Odin.  
'Fine. The King came up with an idea to rehabilitate him. That involved chaining us together.'  
'And I have to believe that? The King would never come up with such an absurd idea.' Both Loki and I grinned.  
'Well he did. So why are you here?' I changed the subject.  
'I came to check on you and the guests. It's not common to have earthians over.'  
'They're not that great.' Loki said.  
'I don't want to hear that from you. She might forgive you for what you did but I definitely won't.' With that he nodded and continued his walk.  
'He's still as strict as ever I see.' Loki remarked.  
'I know. That was his only bad quality.'  
'For you.'  
'What do you mean?'  
'That man never liked me.'  
'Well you did nearly kill him once.'  
'That was an accident. I apologised to him a hundred times.' I stared at the wall and remembered how my dad was tickling me to death one day. Loki must've heard me screaming because he barged in and used his magic to throw my dad against the wall and threaten him with a ball of fire in one hand and a chunk of ice in the other. I never thought much of it back then but in the light of the recent events I realised that he'd always been a rather protective of me.  
'But I don't think I ever thanked you for that. Even though he wasn't murdering me, your intentions were good. Thanks.' He smiled and nodded.  
'But don't think it's still like that. I can't look after you all the time anymore.' I laughed.  
'No need. I have enough tricks up my sleeve.'  
'Really?'  
'Of course. Always leave some room for amazing others.'  
'Wise words. I think I've got plenty left.'  
'I'm sure you do. You never cease to amaze me.'  
'Glad to hear that. Care for some breakfast?'  
'Gladly.'

As we entered the kitchen we received several stares from the cooks.  
'Did you do something behind my back?' I whispered to Loki. He put on a 'really?' face and I acknowledged it, he couldn't do anything without me noticing.  
'You two here for breakfast?' The only friendly lookin one asked. We nodded.  
'Did we do something wrong?' I asked her.  
'A Mr. Stark came by and told some stories about Mr Loki here. Most of them weren't very nice.' We'd kept the incidents on earth from most of the staff to avoid possible hatred against the King.  
'Did he now?' I muttered. 'Never mind the breakfast. We'll eat later.' The cook nodded and went back to work. 'Come on.'

I knocked on Stark's door and walked in.  
'It's normal to wait for approval before you enter a room.' He said as he looked up from some sort of screen in his hand.  
'Excuse me. But I'd really like to ask you not to tell the staff stories anymore. We decided it'd be best not to tell them of what happened on earth.' I explained.  
'Isn't that lying?'  
'No, it's withholding information. That's different.'  
'To protect the King I assume?'  
'Exactly.'  
'The lady asked me why we were here. I simply told her the truth.'  
'And normally I'd ask you to tell the truth, but not here. It's a request but if you ignore it there will be consequences.'  
'Okay, I get it. I'll keep quiet. You can take this as an apology for my outburst yesterday.'  
'I will. My apologies as well. I kind of turn into someone else when I get angry.' I didn't choose my words conciously but saw the interest in his eyes and realised that it was the same for Doctor Banner, besides the huge greenness.  
'Don't worry about it. Consider it even now.'  
'Of course. Thanks for your coöperation.' I smiled as I walked out, Loki followed and closed the door behind him.  
'It's not just for Odin's protection, is it?' He asked. I shook my head.  
'It's also for yours. To avoid assassinations and riots and such.'  
'Haylee! Haylee!' One of the servants ran up to me.  
'What's wrong?' He seemed anxious for some reason.  
'The wolves are back! At the front gate!' He said between loud panting. I cursed and quickly made for the gate.

Odin, Frigga and Thor were standing at the gates as well and looked up when I neared. Looking past them I saw an army of wolves.  
'I have absolutely no idea what they want.' Thor said.  
'I'll go talk to them. Would you mind switching with me for a moment?' I couldn't act like a diplomat while someone's breathing in my neck and I didn't want to scare the wolves. Odin took my cuff off and put it on Thor's wrist, much to Loki's dismay. I walked up to the gate and crouched down, imagining a rune in my head and feeling how the transformation took place, replacing my human form with that of a gray wolf.  
'Is there something wrong, Lord Ulfr?' I asked the wolf leader, his bright blue eyes contrasted sharply with his black fur.  
'No, nothing wrong. It's just that I've made a decision.'  
'Nothing to provoke the King, I hope.'  
'If he agrees then he shall have nothing to fear. However, if he refuses I'll order the extermination of several of your villages.'  
'Your proposal?'  
'In exchange for your people, I'll take you as my wife.' I frowned at him, thinking I'd misheard.  
'Your what?'  
'My wife.' He repeated.  
'For the safety of the people?'  
'Exactly.' If it'd protect the villagers then it was good but I didn't know if I was willing to live as a wolf for the rest of my life. When I made my decision I let out a deep breath and nodded.  
'Let me inform the King of my decision.'  
'Very well.' I turned back to my normal form and walked back to the others.  
'I am to come with him.'  
'For how long?' Thor asked.  
'A long time.'  
'As what? A hostage?' Frigga asked.  
'As his wife.' I whispered. They all stared in silence for a moment but then started throwing objections at me.  
'He'll spare the people if I agree. Otherwise he'll order for the extermination of entire villages. I've made my decision.'  
'You're not saying you're going to agree with him, are you?' Loki asked.  
'That's it. A small sacrifice for the wellbeing of the people. Odin, good luck with finding a new advisor. Thor, don't do anything stupid. And Loki, the same goes for you.'  
'But we can fight them! You don't have to-'  
'I do. You know how they battle. Even you'd be dead within minutes, the soldiers don't stand a chance and the people even less. It'll be a massacre.' He had to see the consequences if Ulfr ordered the attacks on the villages.  
'Well then. Good luck and say hi to dad for me.' I turned and walked back to the gate, walking out and turning back into the gray wolf. I followed Ulfr and his pack into the woods.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

We moved through the woods at a fast pace, a complete pack of wolves marching like soldiers.  
'You interest me. You were the first to ever come to us to negotiate. I saw no fear.'  
'Well it was necessary and besides, I had nothing to fear.'  
'What made you so sure we wouldn't attack you?'  
'I wasn't. I decided to trust in your good will.' The Wolf tribe lived deep inside the woods, deeper than anyone would dare to go.  
'All the more reason for my interest. You trust those whom you've never met before?'  
'We've met before. But I was still a kid. I went into the woods and ran into a small group of wolves there. They wanted to make me their dinner but you stopped them. Then Loki dragged me back to the palace before I could thank you.'  
'You didn't bring it up the other day, why?'  
'That was a diplomatic visit. Not personal. Just business.' After walking up a hill I saw a collection of caves and barrows in the valley below where several wolves were walking around and cubs were playing in the grass.  
'Well we've arrived. Please make yourself at home.' He was nicer than I expected, of course I'd thought of a worst case scenario. I'd never been to this part of the forest before, I never dared to go this deep.  
'We'll have an official ceremony next week.'  
'Ah, okay.' I answered absently as I sat down, he followed my example.  
'Look, Haylee, we may not love eachother but I'm sure feelings will develop over time.'  
'You had to choose someone. That's it, right?'  
'My father suggested you. Mainly to form a bond with the Gods.'  
'So I'm like insurance?'  
'Look, if it wasn't for my father I'd choose someone else. Someone of my race.'  
'Can't you talk to him about it?'  
'He's not someone you can easily convince. I tried several times but he wouldn't hear of it.'  
'What if I try? Maybe he'll listen to an outsider.'  
'He won't even listen to his own son, you think he'll listen to someone he's never met before?'  
'I can be incredibly persuasive.'  
'Well, you can always try but I doubt it'll have much effect. I'll take you to him.' He walked down the hill and entered the a cave. The inside was spacious but cold, then I figured wolves wouldn't decorate their homes abundantly.  
'Father.' He halted at the back of the cave. An old wolf was lying on a bed of leaves there. 'I've brought her.' The old wolf sat up, I could hear his old bones objecting to the movement.  
'Good.' He turned to me. 'Haylee?' I nodded. 'I am Basil, King of Wolves.' I took a bow and nodded. 'I'm sure Ulfr has already told you this was my idea?'  
'Yes, he has.'  
'Good. Then this might not come as such a surprise.' Several guards hurled themselves at me and pressed me to the ground. It's not like I hadn't thought of this but I certainly didn't expect it.  
'Father! What is the meaning of this?' Ulfr said angrily.  
'As a King I haven't done much beside keeping the peace. For a wolf that's unforgivable. We live for war. Killing her gives me the perfect reason to start one.'  
'I do not understand.'  
'I'll say she attacked me and I'll accept that as the start of war. The troops are already preparing. We'll wait with the execution until tomorrow.'  
'You can't do this!' Ulfr yelled.  
'Of course I can. Now don't make me imprison you as well.' Ulfr nodded, accepting defeat as he watched them drag me away. Just outside the village was a prison, or something that had to look like one. It was a gathering of cages. They probably stole them from the dwarves as they were made of sturdy steel. They threw me into one and closed the door which locked itself immediately. I changed back to my human form and sighed as I sat down, leaning against the bars. Four wolves stood guard around the cage and I felt more imprisoned than ever.

After sitting still for an hour I got bored and decided to have some fun with magic. As I imagined the fire rune in my head a shock went through my body. The wolves laughed loudly.  
'Anti-magic cage.' I whispered as I cleared my mind. I closed my eyes and decided to meditate a little.

My sharp hearing picked up several sounds further away which didn't seem to come from the wolves. I opened my eyes and stared at the shadows, I saw movement there. A few seconds later the guards heard it too. As one of them went to look he fell down and I saw an arrow sticking out of his chest. Just before the others could call for backup they suffered the same fate. As the creatures walked out of the shadows I gasped. Four Elven hunters walked up to me. One of them crouched down beside the cage and opened the door, gesturing at me to come out and follow them. I quietly did so and followed them back into the woods.

Once we were at a safe distance they stood still and observed me.  
'Thanks for saving me. They were going to execute me in the morning.'  
'What have you done to invoke their anger?' One asked, a tall, slender, blonde elf with bright blue eyes.  
'Nothing. They said that they'd attack the villages if I didn't agree with their proposal. So I accepted.'  
'Proposal?'  
'To become the prince's bride. Then the King of Wolves said he'd kill me and use it as a reason for attacking the villages.'  
'I don't get it. Explain from the beginning, please.' Another commanded. He was of the same length as the other one but both his hair and eyes were darker. I nodded and explained my story from the beginning.

'Then we might be a target as well.' A third said after I'd finished. He was a bit smaller than the others but had a more striking appearance.  
'I have to get to the palace to tell the King to ready the troops. Shall I ask him to also dispatch some to the Elven district?'  
'That would be most kind of you. We're few in number and I fear we wouldn't be able to take on an entire tribe of wolves.'  
'Okay then, let's go to the village to get some transportation. I'm Arien by the way.' The smaller one said.  
'Durfan.' The first one said.  
'Elion.' The third said.  
'Tanyl.' The fourth said. He was slightly taller than the others and had a slightly darker skin, green eyes and long, brown hair.  
'I'm Haylee, nice to meet you all.'

The village of the elves consisted mainly of houses made by forming trees with magic, it was a slow process but the elves had more than enough time with their immortality. Elven communities were always very secluded so not much was known about them. This was an amazing oppertunity for me so I kept my eyes wide open as we walked past the houses.  
'Don't be afraid of them. They're very kind, just like cats.'  
'What? Who?' Four huge cats came out of a large tree trunk and charged at us. The cats all had different colours, ranging from red-ish to purple-ish. They ignored the elves and jumped me, licking my face and purring contently. Durfan whistled and they all stood back, allowing me to sit up.  
'They're really cute.' I said as I wiped the spit off my face with the sleeve of my shirt. 'Did you mean them by transportation?'  
'Exactly. Let's get the saddles and then we'll be at the palace in no time.' Arien said as he walked into a tree and came out with four saddles in his arms. After saddling them up they all got on and I stared blankly at them for a moment. Then Tanyl grabbed my arm and pulled me up on his ride. Before I knew it we were already out of the village and on our way to the palace.

At the front gate the guards gasped at the sight of us and held their swords ready.  
'Stand down!' I said as I got off. They immediately did as asked and opened the gate. I walked through with the elves and their mounts behind me. It must've been quite the spectacle as the guards nearly fainted when we marched trough the corridors. When one would get too close he'd get an angry growl from one of the cats. I opened the doors into the throne room and walked in, seeing Odin on his throne and Loki and Thor sitting on the stairs, being bored. They looked up at hearing the noise and seemed surprised by what they saw.  
'Haylee! What happened?' Thor asked as he walked up to me, Loki right behind him. The Elves all bowed to the King and the cats followed their example.  
'I'll explain later. First.' I scraped my throat and raised my voice.  
'King. I advise you to dispatch your troops to the villages and to both the Elven district and the Dwarven districts.'  
'Basil decided to attack, didn't he?'  
'Indeed. He planned on killing me but these noble Elves rescued me.' I said, gesturing at the Elves behind me. Odin stood and walked down the steps.  
'I'm grateful for your courageous actions.' He said to the Elves.  
'It was the least we could do, my King.' Elion said.  
'I'll send troops to the villages and the Elven district. The Dwarves have an impenetrable fortress, I wouldn't worry about them.'  
'Thank you very much, King.' Arien said as he bowed deeper.  
'You and your brethren have never given us any trouble, see it as an act of good will.' He turned to his sons and pulled up an eyebrow.  
'Step over here for a moment.' They both came closer and Odin took Thor's wrist, taking off the cuff and putting it on my wrist. 'Now you can go prepare yourselves as well.' He turned back to the Elves. 'The four of you can lead the troops back to the Elven district. Come along.'  
'Of course, sir.' They said as they stood and followed Odin out the room.  
'Well, I'm glad you're okay. See you on the battlefield!' Thor said as he laughed and ran out.  
'So, how did things work out without me?' I asked Loki, he had a sad look on his face.  
'Is there something wrong?'  
'No, nothing. Things went well but it was boring. Let's go get ready too.' He feigned a smile and walked off.  
'Loki...' No reaction.  
'Loki.' Still nothing.  
'Loki!' This time he turned around in surprise.  
'We don't have to go to the battle if you don't want to.'  
'No, it's fine.'  
'Then what's wrong? You seem distracted.' He let out a deep breath and shook his head.  
'It doesn't matter anymore.'  
'Apparently it does.'  
'Leave it.'  
'You can't go into battle when you're this distracted.' He let out a yell and pushed me against the wall, pinning my wrists down against it.  
'Why did you agree?'  
'To save the people.'  
'Was that all?'  
'Yes! What other reason could there be?' He stared at me for a moment but then looked to the ground. 'Don't tell me you thought I agreed because I wanted to get away from here.'  
'To get away from me.' He whispered as he let go.  
'Why would I want that when I like being around you?' He looked up, a surprised look in his eyes.  
'You like... being around me?'  
'Yeah, of course. You're smart and funny and there's also kindness in you.' I held my arms open and smiled as I gave him a hug.  
'So you agreed just for the people?'  
'Just for them.' I let go and nodded at him. 'Now let's go help.'

As we got on a horse and made our way to the village closest to the forest we found a few platoons of soldiers, ready to fight.  
'Ulfr doesn't want this. I have to find and tell him that we're waiting for them.' I said as we got off the horse and walked into the forest.  
'But I can't use magic with these things on.' Loki said as he held up the chain.  
'But I can.' I grinned and used the magic on both of us, turning me into a gray wolf and him into a black one. We took off towards the Wolf tribe, I was sure Ulfr would be there.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As we neared the wolf village we slowed down and moved silently, minding the chain binding us together.  
'Brothers!' I started at hearing Basil's voice and walked to the top of the hill, peering over it to see him addressing his tribe. 'We will go to war on this day! The wife Ulfr had picked tried to kill me today!' The wolves started whispering among eachother. 'But this act will not go unpunished! We will show them that Wolves won't be messed with!' The wolves howled. Then Basil was pushed away, his place taken by Ulfr.  
'Don't believe him! He's lying! He only wishes for war!' He said. 'If we go out there now then our peaceful lives will be over! Our pups will have to grow up in fear if we make the wrong decision now!' The mothers among the wolves seemed to agree with him.  
'Someone take him away!' Basil yelled and several wolves threw themselves at Ulfr, he conveniently dodged and ran into the crowd.  
'Think about what you're wasting before you decide!' With that he ran up the hill, straight towards us. I quickly changed back and held up my hand as he jumped, grabbing his leg and pulling him down. I made us invisible and held my hands over his snout to keep him quiet. The other wolves jumped over us and further into the forest. Ulfr struggled and let out small growls.  
'Shh, it's me.' I whispered. He stopped and I released him and made myself and Loki visible again.  
'Why're you here?' He asked in a hushed voice.  
'To warn you. There are soldiers at all the villages near the forest and at the Elven villages.'  
'So it's an ambush?' He sounded desperate.  
'Exactly. They're loyal to you as well, right?'  
'Well yeah but my father's word is still higher than mine.'  
'Okay then. This doesn't have to end in a blood bath. Here's my plan.'

I transformed Loki back to his normal self and he took hold of Ulfr, holding his neck fur tightly. We stood at the top of the hill and drew the attention of the crowd of wolves.  
'Wolves!' I addressed them, they all turned to face me. 'Back down now! If not he'll kill Ulfr!' Ulfr struggled to make it more convincing. The wolves started whispering again and one walked up to Basil.  
'You can't let this happen! We must stop now!'  
'If my son goes against me in public then I shall not mourn his death. He's not my son anymore.' Basil said coldly. Now all the wolves turned to him and Loki released Ulfr.  
'We never leave a brother behind. Especially a son.' He said as he stood at the front of the pack. 'Anyone who wants to do that is a traitor to the pack.'  
'You can't! I'm the pack leader!'  
'You're blinded by lust for war! We can't be led by someone like that! I'm taking over!' The wolves agreed with a simultaneous howl. As I sat down, patiently waiting for him to be done with his takeover, I felt Loki's eyes on me. Looking at him from the corner of my eyes confirmed it as he quickly looked away. Ulfr ran up to us and laughed.  
'Great plan, Haylee! You saved our pack.'  
'You were the one who did most of the work. I was merely assisting you, King of Wolves.' I smiled and bowed.  
'I'm sorry for the trouble we've caused. It won't happen again. I'll strive for a good bond with the immortals from now on.' He sounded like a true leader.  
'I'm looking forward to it. Well, we'll go tell the soldiers to retreat. I'll see you around, Ulfr.' He nodded, thanked me again and bade us farewell as he walked back down the hill to his pack. As I changed back to my human form I felt complete again, seeing the world from such a low perspective wasn't really handy.  
'So, is this all taken care of?' Loki asked.  
'Yeah, he said he wants to have a good bond with us so that's a good thing. Let's go tell the soldiers to retreat.' He nodded and followed me back to the village.

After a week all the commotion had died down and everything had gone back to normal.  
'I'm bored.' Loki said annoyed.  
'Me too.' Thor agreed.  
'It surprises me but I am too.' I said as I sighed and leaned against the wall.  
'There you are!' Odin's voice echoed through the hallway. We stood straight and turned all our attention to him without even thinking about it. 'I did some thinking and I decided that I'm going to release you.' I frowned at him for a moment.  
'From what?' I asked cluelessly.  
'The chain.' He said. I looked at my wrist and followed the chain with my eyes, reaching Loki's wrist.  
'Oh, the chain. So Loki's rehabilitated now?'  
'Enough. I trust that he won't do something like that again.'  
'I'm standing here.' Loki remarked.  
'I know.' Odin and I said at the same time. He took my wrist, undid the cuff and repeated the same thing on Loki's side.  
'Enjoy your freedom.' With a broad smile on his face he walked off.  
'Feels a bit weird now…' I observed as I stared at my bare wrist.  
'What? Are you missing me already?' Loki with a mean smile on his face.  
'That's not it. Well, never mind. It's not important.'  
'But he'll probably have you followed so don't get too free.' Thor warned.  
'Great, then I can play with them a bit.' He smiled at the thought of tormenting the soldiers.  
'Playing is fine, just don't drive them insane.'  
'I'll try. But I'm off. I really need a bath.'  
'You're right!' I exclaimed joyously.  
'You want to take a bath with me or something?'  
'No, I just realised that I can take a bath and change.' We'd been a walking health hazard because we hadn't been able to bathe properly.  
'You can come join me anytime you want.' He grinned as he walked away. I sighed and turned to Thor.  
'Will everything go back to normal now?'  
'I hope so. I've grown a bit tired of all the chaos.'  
'Agreed. I'm going to take a bath as well, we might have to restock on soap afterwards though.' We laughed and parted ways.

As I lowered myself into the tub I let out a deep breath of satisfaction at feeling the warm water on my skin.  
'I'm going to soak for hours...' I thought as I sank down some more until my chin touched the water.  
'Haylee?' I heard after a while. I opened my eyes and looked around the bathroom, no one there so it had to come from my bedroom.  
'Yes?'  
'Where are you?'  
'In the bath.' The door opened and I shrieked. 'That's not a green light for entering!' The door closed again and I got out. I wrapped a towel around my body and shivered, missing the warm bathwater. I walked to the door, opened it slightly and poked my head around the corner. Loki was sitting on the bed, looking sadder than ever.  
'What is it?' I asked, trying to sound compassionate. He looked up at me.  
'I missed you.'  
'This isn't like him at all, something must be terribly wrong.' I thought as I walked further into the room and noticed that he had cuts all over his body.  
'What happened?'  
'I wanted to get something to eat first but the cooks threw pans and knives at me…'  
'They did what?' I said astonished.  
'And my magic's not working either.'  
'That's probably a side effect of the chains. I'm sure it'll come back.'  
'Really?'  
'Really. Now come along, I'll clean those cuts and heal them.' He stood up, nodded and walked into the bathroom. Without drying myself off properly I threw some clothes on and joined him. I took a spunge, wetted it a little and gently pressed it onto a cut on his forehead.  
'You thought you could stop them with magic, didn't you?' I asked. He nodded.  
'Nothing works out for me.'  
'That's not true.'  
'Then what did?' I thought for a moment and couldn't think of anything worth saying.  
'Friendship works, right?' I realised.  
'How?'  
'Me and Thor are your friends, for a very long time now already.'  
'Thor already betrayed me by joining that group of mortals.'  
'I don't really see that as betrayal but whatever, I'm still your friend. I've never betrayed you, right?'  
'No, not yet.'  
'And I won't ever. Unless stopping you from doing stupid things is betrayal.'  
'Not small stupid things.'  
'Then I probably won't ever betray you.' I smiled encouragingly. 'You should love yourself a little more.'  
'Myself?'  
'Yeah. You should love yourself like I love you.' Those words came out before I could stop them and I froze, staring at him and waiting for his reaction. He leaned closer and kissed me gently.  
'Is loving you good too?' He asked as he briefly pulled back.  
'It is for me.' I put my arms around him and kissed him back.

**We were chained once more, but it was voluntarily and not with metal. We were Chained with feelings.**


End file.
